This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
The new NHL season is finally here, and the theoretical possibilities of our fantasy teams are about to turn into realities. Indeed, those delicately crafted rosters, so filled with potential, are about to meet the brutality of the NHL grind head-on. But never fear – I'll be here along with the rest of our Daily Puck crew every day of the way to help guide you to the promised (or at least hoped-for) land.
We're doing a few new things with the Daily Puck this year, and I'd like to introduce you to them here. Essentially, we're narrowing our focus to provide you with the most useful information possible for both your daily and season-long fantasy games. As always, you can find crucial information about the day's games here – in fact, there's more of it. Besides the starting goalies and injuries (now culled down to only the noteworthy and relevant ones), you'll see teams' power-play and penalty-kill ranks – well, once there's enough of a sample size to start providing those. The goalie stats currently listed are for last season; they'll be updated to this season's once relevant.
Every day, we'll feature a few of the day's most intriguing matchups, offering some context and identifying potentially fantasy-friendly situations. But why tell you about that when I can show you? Let's jump in.
Featured Matchups (all times Eastern)
Maple Leafs (PP:N/A, PK:N/A) at Senators (PP:N/A, PK:N/A), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Frederik Andersen (22-9-7, 2.3, .919), Craig Anderson (31-23-5, 2.78, .916)
Key Injuries:Clarke MacArthur (concussion), Joffrey Lupul (abdomen)
This is an exciting game for Leafs fans and hockey fans as a whole, as it'll be the first look for many of us at Auston Matthews, the top pick in this year's draft. After his star turn in Switzerland as an 18-year-old last year, he'll get eased into the NHL on Toronto's third line; although it'd be no surprise to see Matthews rise as far as top-line duty by midseason, the current configuration does hurt his short-term value, so don't plunge too deep with him too early. No, the most interesting rookie for Game 1 isn't Matthews or William Nylander; rather, it's Mitch Marner, who'll make his debut in the big leagues as the second-line right wing, alongside a pair of veteran point producers in James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak. But this might be a good game to own some Senators, as Frederik Andersen – acquired to stabilize Toronto's net – scuffled through preseason action, posting an .826 save mark. Sure, those games don't count, but it remains an open question how successful Andersen will be with a rebuilding Leafs squad rather than his old veteran-studded Ducks team. I'm looking for Opening Night value from Kyle Turris (whose injury-marred 2015-16 has depressed his DFS prices), and it's never a bad time to use guys like Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone and Derick Brassard. Philip Varone starred in the preseason and could provide some bottom-dollar value from Ottawa's third line.
Blues (PP:N/A, PK:N/A) at Blackhawks (PP:N/A, PK:N/A), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jake Allen (26-15-3, 2.35, .92), Corey Crawford (35-18-5, 2.37, .924)
Key Injuries: Jaden Schwartz (elbow), Andrew Desjardins (lower body), Niklas Hjalmarsson (suspension)
Monitor the status of Duncan Keith (knee) heading into this game; he reportedly expects to be available, but it's still not a sure thing. Richard Panik is a surprising top-six presence on this team, but he's lining up with Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews on the first line; there's not much scoring pedigree here, but the situation is right and he's widely available in season-long leagues. Thanks to Jaden Schwartz's elbow injury, the Blues also have a new top-line left winger in Robby Fabbri, their 2014 first-round pick, who's coming off a promising rookie campaign – he's a nice cheap DFS play, although the matchup certainly isn't great. We're also about to get our first look at Nail Yakupov in a new sweater with a new chance to recapture the ol' No. 1 pick magic; he's starting on the third line, though, so keep expectations tempered.
Flames (PP:N/A, PK:N/A) at Oilers (PP:N/A, PK:N/A), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Brian Elliott (23-8-6, 2.07, .93), Cam Talbot (21-27-5, 2.55, .917)
Key Injuries: Matt Hendricks (lower body), Iiro Pakarinen (leg)
This is an interesting matchup between two teams that have been known for their bad defense in the past, but may not be so rough anymore. After giving up the most goals in the league last year, the Flames addressed their weakness between the pipes by importing both a new starter in Elliott and a new backup in Chad Johnson. Those additions seem likely to instantly push Calgary into the NHL's middle tier of defenses at minimum, so they no longer represent a matchup to exploit. The Oilers, meanwhile, have added a pair of reliable defenders in Adam Larsson and Kris Russell to limit the number of shots that get through to Talbot. Flanking Connor McDavid should produce huge dividends for the electric Jordan Eberle and the tough-as-nails Milan Lucic, who should give his skilled linemates room to operate and can join in the offense himself. If you're looking for DFS value, Jesse Puljujarvi comes dirt cheap and is opening alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Edmonton's second line.
Kings (PP:N/A, PK:N/A) at Sharks (PP:N/A, PK:N/A), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Jonathan Quick (40-23-5, 2.22, .918), Martin Jones (37-23-4, 2.27, .918)
Key Injuries:Marian Gaborik (foot), Tanner Pearson (suspension), Patrick Marleau (illness), Joel Ward (lower body)
If you can believe it, Devin Setoguchi is opening as the Kings' top left wing, joining the well-established Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Yes, the same Setoguchi who has played 12 NHL games and scored zero NHL points in the last two seasons. If you're an optimist, he's still only 29 and once upon a time scored 31 goals with the Sharks in 2008-09. I'm a realist, so the Kings' brutal situation on the left side makes me like Jones a lot for DFS purposes Wednesday. Tomas Hertl, Joonas Donskoi and Mikkel Boedker all make for appealing top-six guys to fit into your lineups, with the latter two offering value on the cheap.
Recommended Pickup
Nathan Beaulieu, D, MON – No, Beaulieu isn't playing Wednesday, but this is Opening Night, so let's be forward-looking (or, well, defense-looking?). A 2011 first-round pick, Beaulieu has had a fairly quiet early career with just 32 points in 151 NHL games, but was this preseason's leading point-getter (eight – a goal and seven assists – in just five contests). He's also going to skate on Montreal's top defensive pairing alongside a veteran stud (and a great guy to learn from) in Shea Weber. Investing in him won't cost you much, but it could pay one heck of a dividend. With Carey Price back, this should again be a Montreal team to be reckoned with, and Beaulieu will be a big part of the formula.
